Update: +Pool / Family + PlayLab

Over a year has passed since we first introduced you to the ideas of Family and PlayLabfor a floating riverpool in New York’s East River. Since that time, the proposal has generated a lot of interest, and reached major milestones, such as completing a primarily testing of the filtration membranes to find the most effective methods to provide clean and safe riverwater for the public to swim in. With an opening date set for 2015, the ambitious project seeks to improve the city’s natural resources by taking advantage of clean water to safely create a new kind of urbanistic public haven.

Early last week, the team celebrated the beginning of a six-month campaign to raise the first $1 million toward swimming in a clean river. The campaign funds will go toward the design and engineering of +POOL so that it can obtain the required city and state permits, as well as support a prototype and public pavilion to fully test the + POOL filtration system.

More after the break.

“When we launched the idea of + POOL into the world in June of 2010, we had no idea what would happen. We knew it was a necessary and important step for New York’s waterfront but we didn’t know whether the public would want it, whether the city would allow it or whether anyone would get as excited about it as we were. But we very quickly learned that not only were there thousands of people that wanted and believed in + POOL, but that the only way to build it properly was to get everybody involved,” explained the designers.

In addition to filtering bacteria and contaminants, +POOL will make the larger issue of water conservation much more accessible and related to the public. The massive pool will filter over 500,000 gallons of river water daily, setting an example for people as to what a mix of modern day engineering and some creative thought can do to contribute to uplifting our environment.

In that sense, +POOL will not only build community bonds among those who share the water, but will also set the stage – and perhaps serve as a prototype – for larger issues pertaining to how to maximize our benefit of the environment in an efficient and clean manner.

Learn more about the project from our previous coverage, and check out the team’s timeline for completion plus ways you can support the project here. We can’t wait to see where this exciting proposal will lead, and wish the team much luck!

Would you enjoying swimming in a pool in the East River? Let us know in the comments below!